Shining Sky, Bright Future
by Tia-Chan18
Summary: Orihime tells Rukia exciting news about her and Ichigo! Meanwhile, Rukia explains to Orihime what Ichigo means to her. -ICHIHIME-


_**So I've had this idea in my mind for the past few days! I figured I'd come up with some sort of update while I'm waiting for From a Distance to come back from my Beta :) . This is IchiHime, but it's more centered on Orihime and Rukia's feelings. I've wondered how Orihime would confront Rukia about this.. So I figured I'd write it my own way :).**_

_**There is a two year time skip. Just to let you know :D**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

Twiddling her thumbs nervously, Orihime sat in the small café, not far from her apartment. It was the day she was going to break the news to her best friend.

Ichigo had proposed to her and they were now engaged.

Tatsuki was obviously the first to know, and it made her very happy to hear that both her friends were finally going to get the happiness they deserve, after saving the world from the evil clutches of Aizen. But Tatsuki also knew Orihime wouldn't be happy until Rukia knew.

She still thought Rukia had romantic feelings towards Ichigo.

Tatsuki called her an idiot for thinking that way, and she shouldn't be so insecure about it. But it didn't stop the healer from constantly thinking about how the petite shinigami would react to the sudden news. They had always been closer than she ever was to Ichigo. She was really shocked when Ichigo asked her out, and almost fainted when he proposed to her. Still, she told Ichigo she couldn't go on with the wedding plans until Rukia knew.

When Ichigo heard those words, he scoffed and just went on about how she shouldn't know and it wasn't her business. But Orihime felt differently to the situation. After the pleading and almost resorting to crying, Ichigo gave in and told her they wouldn't go on with the wedding until Rukia knew. He still didn't understand the reasoning behind it, and Orihime never planned on telling him.

If he knew, he'd just laugh and think she was crazy.

Sensing the older woman approach, she shook her head and smiled happily at the smaller girl.

"Rukia-chan~"

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.

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"Ne, so what's with the sudden visit Orihime? I thought you'd be with Ichigo."

Laughing nervously, she rubbed the back of her head before she looked at the girl, "You know, we aren't always tied at the hip. It may seem that way, but even we need our space. Besides, I told him we'd be having a girl talk."

Chuckling at the thought of Ichigo scowling, Rukia took a sip of her drink, "That idiot. I can't believe he would actually buy that story! But then again, he's always been gullible. So what did you want to tell me Orihime?"

Looking at the raven-haired girl, Orihime took a deep breath before replying, "Ichigo proposed to me… And I accepted… We're…. Engaged."

The girl's eyes widened before they soften, happiness shone brightly in the purple depths. "I'm very happy for you! Congratulations!"

"Ano… Thank you, Rukia-chan. Actually, I was quite nervous to tell you…"

Blinking, she looked at the girl, "Why would you be nervous to tell me that? I've been waiting for that idiot to do something good with his life. I've always thought you were the best match for him. He was just taking too long to realize it." Shaking her head, she smiled, "But I'm glad it's you, Orihime. If it was any other girl, I'd beat him up."

"I always thought you were better for him Rukia-chan. You always seemed to cheer him up when he was down; you were strong and capable of handling any situation thrown at you. He even saved you from death… I always thought the two of you loved each other."

Taking the healer's hand, she smiled sadly, "Orihime, we do love each other. But it's only the way siblings love each other. If I fell in love with that idiot, I'd probably go nuts. We're not that good together. Yes, we fight well as a team, but we're opposite of each other. I'm pretty sure relationships shouldn't have that much fighting."

Sighing in relief, she hugged the girl tightly. "Thank you, Rukia-chan. It made me feel much more confident that this relationship will work out."

"You had doubts in Ichigo?"

"Mmm.. Not Ichigo, per say. It's just… I always thought he loved you the way he loves me. So when he first admitted it to me, I didn't want to believe him. In fact, I rejected him because I was scared to believe it was real. But, Ichigo was stubborn, and he continued to show me just how much he cared about me… And I finally believed it when he kissed me. It was… one of the best memories I've had with him, but I've always felt that maybe, something would come in the way. And I never knew your side of the situation, so I was scared that maybe you **did** feel that way towards him. I wasn't always putting my all into the relationship, and I feel really bad for doing it. But now that I know your side, it makes the future seem that much clear."

"You know… Orihime… The reason it may seem like I love him that way, is because he reminds me of someone I used to know."

Her eyes widened in shock, "Really?! Who was it Rukia-chan?"

Closing her eyes, she whispered, "His name was Kaien Shiba."

Hitting her hand with her fist, Orihime exclaimed. "That's Kukaku's brother! The one that got killed by a shinigami! I remember Ganju was talking about that, but I didn't quite understand what he meant. So you knew him?"

Nodding, she smiled sadly, "He was my lieutenant at the time. I was always in Captain Ukitake's squad. But when I first joined, I wasn't placed in a seat. Even after all that's happened, it took a lot of convincing to let me become a lieutenant. Captain Ukitake was scared that if I was a lieutenant, Nii-sama would be furious. But he was the one that insisted on letting me his lieutenant. And well… That's why I'm in my current position now."

Orihime's mouth was hanging slightly open, before she shut it. "So, what happened to Shiba-san?"

"He was possessed by a hollow. We tried to save him some other way, but I ended up delivering the final blow. I was the one that killed him."

"You must've been so scared, Rukia-chan. I know that feeling. It was the same thing I went through with my brother."

Smiling softly, Rukia looked out the window. "Yes, I suppose it was."

The silence between them wasn't tense, but quite the opposite. Rukia felt a bit better after telling Orihime what happened and seeing that she wasn't disgusted by her actions.

"So what kind of a man was Shiba-san?"

"He was nice, kind. He always treated everyone the same. When I first started, everyone looked at me with eyes of jealousy because I was a Kuchiki. They always treated me coldly or mockingly, as though their words never hurt me. At the time, nii-sama wasn't that close to me, and well, I had to leave Renji behind, so I had no friends. Kaien was my very first friend. He was the only one who treated me as a normal shinigami. He gave me courage to wield Sode-No-Shirayuki, and he helped me master my techniques. Even when things got too hard, he didn't give up on me. He even had a wife. She was kind, and strong. She was my inspiration to become a better person. Actually, Kaien's wife reminded me of you, Orihime. The relationship you and Ichigo have is almost a mirror image of theirs."

Waving her hands in front of her face, she laughed, "I don't think our relationship is that great! To be compared to people you knew, it's too much of an honour! We're still too young. And a lot can happen years from now."

Smiling at her friend's antics, Rukia looked out the window. "Actually, the reason I became so comfortable with Ichigo is because he reminds me of Kaien. Not just their looks, but their personalities too. The way me and Ichigo act, is quite similar to how me and Kaien acted. I guess I got so used to being surrounded by people who treated me normally; it didn't sink in that it would look like something else. But no, we're just really close, Orihime. There are no romantic feelings between me and Ichigo. So you don't have to worry."

Hugging her best friend tightly, Orihime shed a small tear, "Thank you, Rukia-chan."

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It was getting late, and knowing Ichigo, he'd show up right away. Orihime wasn't too worried about him coming to find her. She knew exactly where he was. So, she stood at the top of the school, just thinking about what happened between her and Rukia that afternoon.

She fully understood the situation now that Rukia had cleared some things up. It seemed that Ichigo was special to a lot of people, not just to her. It made Orihime want to cry when she heard about Kaien Shiba. She knew his name was familiar, but she wasn't sure where she heard it from.

After their talk, Orihime felt more connected to Rukia than she ever did.

Closing her eyes, she welcomed the cool breeze as it lightly brushed against her face. Inhaling the fresh smell, she breathed out before strong, tan arms wrapped around her stomach. Leaning into his chest, she looked up into Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes, and smiled.

"I thought I'd find you up here. You always seem to love heights."

Lightly humming, she looked out at the sunset, the afternoon events replaying in her head. "It feels nice, being connected to everyone like this. The wind probably feels the same way."

Chuckling lightly, Ichigo pressed a kiss to her forehead before murmuring, "Where'd that come from?"

"Well, surely the weather feels something. I think the weather is a reflection of the people above us, or in this case, the people in Soul Society. I'm sure everything's calm now that the winter war ended. There hasn't been too much chaos."

"You're so thoughtful Orihime."

"Ne, you think so? I always thought I was more of a dreamer."

Lightly bringing her face up to his, he kissed her lips softly before whispering, "Well then, I guess this means you're my dream come true."

Laughing loudly at the comment, she kissed him before smiling, "That's so corny Ichigo!"


End file.
